Nebraska Recruiting: The Hidden Value of Satellite Camps

Recruiting never stops and it's easy to miss the top stories day-to-day. Recruiting analyst Greg Smith recaps all things Nebraska recruiting news, analysis and more so you never miss a thing.

Since we are deep into camp season, there has been a lot of talk about where the coaches have been, which camps they are working and who is standing out to them on the road. Traditionally, the biggest news out of those camps is who has caught the coaches’ eyes enough to earn an offer. That’s exactly what 2021 athlete AJ Rollins out of Creighton (Neb.) Prep did last week.

There are also some hidden benefits to working these camps, especially when it comes to the Huskers staff working out-of-region camps. First, it’s big for exposure. It means something to be at a camp at USF’s campus and see Nebraska hats and polos checking out the action. Making players aware of your brand is part of the battle.

Another important facet of getting out to these camps that may not be apparent right away is that you can see kids competing that you didn’t get a chance to see during the evaluation period. Maybe the kid wasn’t at school that day or wasn’t practicing. Perhaps a coach couldn’t make it to his school altogether. These camp settings allow you to get eyes on hundreds of players in one day.

In addition to all that is maybe the most important factor of all. In these camps, Nebraska gets to evaluate and confirm their feelings on prospects that are under the radar. So far in their time in Lincoln, this staff has done a good job of trusting their own evaluations and making offers early before players’ recruitments really take off. The South is loaded with players that Alabama, Georgia or Florida may be hoping stay off the radar of other big schools so getting facetime with those prospects and showing interest is a huge deal.

So, while it is important to take note of which players earn offers from these camps, keep in mind a few of the additional benefits here for Nebraska that may not immediately come to mind.

Recruit Watch

>> The Huskers made the cut for 3-star linebacker Devyn Curtis out of Tennessee.

>> Huskers priority junior college defensive lineman target Perrion Winfrey enjoyed his official visit to Oklahoma over the weekend.

>> Marco Domio, one of Nebraska’s JUCO cornerback targets, took an official visit to LSU over the weekend.

>> Antonio Doyle Jr, one of the better linebackers in the Midwest, committed to Missouri over the weekend.

>> Ali Gaye, a JUCO defensive end target for the Huskers, committed to LSU.

>> Omaha Burke wide receiver Xavier Watts released a top six edit on Monday.